The present invention relates generally to packaging and pertains particularly to a hermetically sealable and reclosable package for, in particular, sliced meat and the like, and also for any packaging application of discrete items.
Current merchandising practices involving sliced meat have popularized hanging display packages which include a transparent plastic leaf with apertured hang tabs attached thereto. Reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,298,515; 3,498,018; 3,502,486; 3,685,717; 4,730,739; 4,249,659; 4,278,693; 4,319,684 and British Pat. No. 1,063,685 which disclose some of these prior art packages. Producing a hermetic seal in such packages has been an ongoing endeavor, as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,734,798, and particularly as it has been an object in the art to produce the ideal reclosable package which is easily opened initially. An attempt to use easily opened selectively adhering materials is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,430.
In the current method of manufacture of a type of hermetically sealed and reclosable display package, a hot melt glue is applied in the margin around the product cavity and each package is then visually inspected to verify that the glue is present in the proper locations and continuously around the perimeter of the cavity. Once such a package is formed, it is labeled with various adhesive-backed printed labels. Such labels are necessary because of the difficulty involved in printing directly onto the plastic used for the package itself.
It would be advantageous to provide a package and a method for forming the package which eliminates the extra labor involved in applying and inspecting hot melt glue.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a hermetically sealable and reclosable package which eliminates the need and expense of applying and inspecting a hot melt glue seal.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a structure which reduces or eliminates the need for separate adhesive-backed labels, by providing a mat element which can be imprinted directly with the indicia intended to be carried on the package. Alternatively, it is an object of the present invention to provide a package wherein indicia is directly printed on the base member of the package.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a package which will lock in its open position so that the contents of the package can be selectively removed, and which unlocks upon reclosing of the package.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of means for easily opening the package, by peeling apart adjacent portions thereof except for a permanent hinged connection holding the blister body member to the base of the package.
A further object is to eliminate the use of hot melt adhesives entirely by applying appropriate adhesive coatings to selected portions of the package.
The present invention also provides a method for mass producing hermetically sealable and reclosable packages.